Judging by the stock's recent fall and a rising level of short interest, one might think so.

But according to Street Authority's David Sterman, the interest from the shorts could prove beneficial for long investors in this stock, which has morphed over the last century from making glass in light bulbs to the glass in computer and smartphone screens.

Sterman writes that the short interest in Corning (ticker: GLW) more than doubled in the two weeks ended Oct. 31, to 83 million shares. "The short-interest surge came just days before
AppleAAPL 1.6321798073492686%Apple Inc.U.S.: NasdaqUSD113.95
1.831.6321798073492686%
/Date(1481320800267-0600)/
Volume (Delayed 15m)
:
33844401AFTER HOURSUSD113.79
-0.16-0.14041246160596754%
Volume (Delayed 15m)
:
558226
P/E Ratio
13.778718258766625Market Cap
597858946891.729
Dividend Yield
2.000877577885037% Rev. per Employee
1846780More quote details and news »AAPLinYour ValueYour ChangeShort position
(AAPL) said on Nov. 5 that it was going to work with
GT Advanced Technologies
(GTAT), a rival of Corning, in the production of touch screens at an Apple manufacturing facility.

Street Authority

"To be sure, the deal was a great win for GTAT, as my colleague David Goodboy note a few days ago," Sterman writes. "But GTAT's win shouldn't be seen as a real impediment to Corning. And short sellers, even as they traded on this news early, will still likely get burned—because Corning is shaping up to be both a deep value play and a growth play."

Sterman argues that Corning "is about as solid a ship as you're going to find. The company's exposure to multiple end markets—and its solid margin profile in each of those markets—ensures steady and predictable results in the quarters to come. If a short squeeze ensues, this stock could quickly surge toward the $20 mark."

Given the way this company has constantly dealt with competitive threats over its storied history, I wouldn't bet against the Corning bulls, at least over the long run.

Morningstar

"We continue to favor Canadian Natural because of its significant undeveloped oil sands resources, expected production from the Kirby project in 2014, ongoing reliability improvements at the Horizon oil sands mine, and its existing portfolio of onshore and offshore assets," writes Morningstar. "On a valuation basis, it remains the most heavily discounted to its fair value estimate, at 30%. Furthermore, we like the potential improvements that could accrue to shareholders as the company brings new projects on line."

I close with references to a few articles that should be worrisome to investors in
FacebookFB 0.6475485661424607%Facebook Inc. Cl AU.S.: NasdaqUSD119.68
0.770.6475485661424607%
/Date(1481320800113-0600)/
Volume (Delayed 15m)
:
17316506AFTER HOURSUSD119.7
0.020.016711229946524065%
Volume (Delayed 15m)
:
148230
P/E Ratio
46.20849420849421Market Cap
343272365515.716
Dividend Yield
N/ARev. per Employee
1943900More quote details and news »FBinYour ValueYour ChangeShort position
(FB) but at the same time provide encouragement for several start-up competitors, including the trendy Snapchat.

Snapchat's so-called competitive advantage is that photos posted by its users are quickly erased. That means that there is no permanent record that might prove incriminating when viewed by college-admissions directors and other folks in positions to derail a career.

It's easy to understand why a skeptic might wonder why a social-media platform with ephemeral images would be a solid investment.

Such doubters might want to consider that the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that Snapchat rejected an acquisition offer from Facebook that would have valued the company at $3 billion or more. "Facebook representatives reached out to Snapchat in recent weeks to discuss the all-cash deal, which would have been Facebook's largest acquisition ever," the Journal wrote. "Facebook declined to comment. Snapchat could not immediately be reached for comment."

If true, that's a princely sum for a social-media site that makes pictures go poof.